Just Another Case
by CSI001
Summary: Greg's had a tough time and things just don't seem to be getting any easier for the young CSI. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I know I've not even finished my other stories yet, but to be honest I just wanted to write another! Since CSI has started again, I thought I'd celebrate with a new story. I guess it's just an excuse to start another really but who cares! Please review to tell me what you think :) x**

x

"What just happened?" Sara asked confused.

Nick pressed for the ground floor but nothing happened. "I dunno; I think it's broke down." Trying a few more times pressing different buttons Nick shook his head. "Yeah, we're not going anywhere." Sighing, he pressed the alarm and almost straight away there was someone speaking to him through the speaker.

"Yeah, it's not going anywhere. We were going down to the ground floor and it says we're apparently on floor two right now."

After a few minutes Nick finished with the operator. "Did she seriously just say we could be in here for over two hours?" Sara asked Nick incredulously.

Taking a big breath in and then sighing, Nick said "Yep. They're sending someone to the lab now to come fix it. But depending on where they're coming from, it could take an hour just for them to get here."

Sara shook her head and looked over to Greg, who had been silent since the three of them got in the elevator. She noticed he was tapping his finger on the side of the elevator and his breathing was rather quick. She looked over to Nick and they shared a concerned look.

"Greg, don't worry, we're going to be fine." Sara told him and rubbed his arm gently, comfortingly.

He snapped his eyes over to her and then Nick, giving them a small smile. "Yeah." Was all he said and he quickly turned his eyes back to the doors, praying for them to open.

Nick looked to Sara again and felt hopeless. He had no idea how to help Greg. He'd only been back at work two weeks and now he had to face this. It wasn't fair. "I'm just going to ring Catherine and tell her what's going on." Sara said and pulled out her cell.

"Hey Cath. No, we haven't got round to that yet... no, we're in the elevator. Me, Nick and Greg." She looked over to Greg again. "I will, okay bye."

"Now what?" She asked after putting her phone away in her pocket.

"Well, shall we talk about our case since we've nothing else to do?" Nick asked Sara and Greg with a smile.

Sara smiled back whilst Greg made no effort to acknowledge that he'd even heard Nick, just looked at the doors, waiting for them to open.

x

"_You make one sound and you're going to wish you were dead, you got that pretty boy?" _

'_Mmh' Greg muffled beneath the duct tape keeping his lips sealed together. He'd learnt better than to ignore this man, and the rest of them for that matter._

_The man laughed. "Good boy, see you do know how to behave, it's a shame you didn't earlier." He slapped Greg twice on the cheek before shutting the trunk of the car closed and Greg was once again left alone._

_When he was sure the men had really gone, Greg allowed the tears to roll down his face._

"Greg?"

Greg's head snapped around when Nick said his name. "Yeah?"

"I shouted you three times, man. You okay?" Nick asked him, concern clearly evident in his voice.

"Yeah." Greg told him, obviously lying.

Nick nodded unconvinced. "Seriously, you doing okay?" He asked him again. "I mean, I know what it must feel like to be stuck in here so soon after... you know..."

Sara so badly wanted to ask Greg the same thing, but Nick was the one with the guts to actually ask him.

"How long have we been in here?" Greg asked, completely ignoring Nick's question.

Looking down at his watch, Nick said "Around forty minutes, just over."

Greg sighed shakily. "Let's just try this again, it might work this time." He said and went to press the ground floor button again. And again. And again.

"Greg, come on. Greg..." Sara said, trying to snap him out of his trance and stop him pressing the button over and over as fast as he could.

Nick stepped forward and grabbed Greg's arm, not forcefully, just gently to stop him.

"Get off me!" Greg shouted at him and ripped his arm out of Nick's grasp. He turned towards the doors of the elevator and banged his fists on them. "Oh God, I want to get out of here." He said in a raised voice, not quite shouting.

Sara went behind him and softly put her hand on his shoulder. "We know, but don't worry okay; we'll be out of here soon. Alright?" She spoke to him, in a quiet soothing voice.

He leant his head forward and rested it on the cool metal and let out a small whimper. "How much longer do you think we'll be in here?" Greg asked quietly, sounding very close to tears.

"It can't be much longer now." Nick spoke up. "Why don't you sit down, man? Just try and relax."

Greg shook his head and banged on the doors again. "Please open, please, please, please..." Greg begged, gradually getting quieter but still banging the door as forcefully as he could.

"Hey! Hey!" Sara shouted and turned Greg around with a harsh push to his shoulders. Greg slid down the side of the elevator until he was on the floor, knees bent and head buried in his arms, allowing a few tears to creep out.

Nick sat down a little way in front of him and patted his arm. "It's alright, bud. It's okay."

Sara sat directly next to Greg and stroked the back of his head comfortingly.

After about half a minute Greg lifted his head up when he found it hard to breathe. He tried to breathe slower but found that he couldn't and both Nick and Sara picked up on it.

"Just breathe slow Greg. Deep breathes." Nick told him, followed by a tight smile.

Sara told him to sit up right but it still seemed as though he couldn't get his breath back. The few tears that had managed to find their way out from his eyes had stopped coming but there were stains on his cheeks which glistened when he looked up. He rubbed his hands over his face and refused to look at Sara and Nick.

"You alright now?" Sara asked after a minute and Greg replied with a nod of the head. But he was shaking all over and sweating.

Sara smiled and put her arm around Greg's shoulders and hugged him close to her for comfort, which he greatly appreciated. Nick looked back to Sara and sighed quietly. Hopefully they wouldn't be in there much longer.

X

Catherine walked into Hodges lab, where he was looking into a microscope. Standing at the door, she waited for Hodges to look up. When he did look up, he signalled for her to come over. "Take a look."

She bent over the microscope and looked down. "It's a match." She lifted her head and leaned on the table. "So we have our evidence to prove the same guy, the killer, was at both crime scenes, but we have no idea who the guy is."

Hodges nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. But if you have anything I can run this against then it's the first thing on my list."

"Thanks Hodges." Catherine said and just as she was about to walk out Hodges called her.

"Catherine?"

"Yeah?" She spun around and asked him.

He rolled a little bit closer to her in his chair. "Do you know if Greg's okay?"

Catherine frowned. "How do you know?"

"Word gets around fast in this place."

"I should know by now." Catherine smiled at him. "I think he's okay. Sara rang me and I told her to message me if anything happens and she hasn't..." Just then her phone beeped. "...yet."

She looked at her text and it was indeed from Sara. It read: _Greg's just had a panic attack. Managed to settle him but he's agitated and won't talk to neither of us._

Catherine sighed and passed Hodges her phone.

Hodges shook his head. "I hope he gets out of there soon." He thought back to that horrid time a few months ago.

"_The epithelials from the trunk are a match to Greg."_

"_I guess that's not anything we didn't already know." Nick said._

"_No. The sweat and blood is also a match to Greg." Hodges told him. _

_Archie came into the lab where Hodges and everyone were. "I looked over the tapes. If it is how it looks, Greg was left in the trunk of that car for hours at a time, at one point he was in there for nearly a full day."_

_Nick shook his head angrily. "He wouldn't have even been able to move around in there, man. Have you seen how small it is?"_

"_Nicky, calm down." Catherine told him. _

"_I can't, I know what it's like to be in a box, but he couldn't even stretch out or, or, or do anything." He stuttered in his rush of anger. _

_The whole team looked at each other sadly. "Right come on. We need to get these guys behind bars as soon as we can." Russell said snapping them all back into action._

"Yeah me too." Catherine said before walking out.

X

"Did you hear that?" Nick asked with a smile and stood up.

Greg lifted his head up and listened.

"Nick, I don't hear anything..." Sara told him and looked at Greg who had a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Just listen, okay?" Nick said again with a smile.

Sara waited and just when she was about to speak up she heard something. "They're here Greg. We're going to be out of here soon, alright?"

He nodded and rested his head in his arms again. Not long after his panic attack, he began to feel faint and nauseous. And he had butterflies in his stomach ever since.

"Hey we're moving again." Nick said joyfully and Sara stood up to join him.

The elevator stopped and the doors dinged open, much to Greg's delight.

"You want a hand?" Nick offered when he saw Greg still sat on the floor.

Greg shook his head and slowly got to his feet, using the wall as support.

Catherine was hovering outside the elevator when she found out they were almost done and it would be up and working again soon. She wanted to see if Greg was okay.

He stumbled out into the hallway of the lab, still using support from the walls around him and made his way to his office.

Nick was about to follow him but Catherine held him back. "Just give him some space. That's what he needs right now." Nick nodded and he and Sara told Catherine about what had happened.

X

Finally in his office, which he shared with Nick and Morgan, Greg went over to his desk and sat down in the corner on the floor by it. As soon as he hit the floor tears crept back into his eyes. Everything overwhelmed him all at once and he didn't know what to do.

Catherine walked to his office, guessing that's where he headed.

The door was cracked open slightly and she didn't hear anything. Pushing it open a little more and peaking around the corner, she saw Greg hunched over. "Greg?"

He looked up to her but didn't say anything. She walked over and sat down with him. "Come here."

She held her arm out and pulled Greg into her when she saw the moment he was about to break down. And with those two words, it was all it took for his barrier to come down and the tears to break free from their ducts.

"Shh, it's okay. You're alright." She soothed, her motherly instincts coming out. He cried and cried into her shoulder and even a few sobs came out as he choked on his breaths to attempt to calm down.

His arms wrapped around her and his hands gripped the fabric of her shirt as tightly as they could, as if he was afraid to let go of her.

Whilst Greg was crying into her shoulder, Catherine noticed Morgan come in the office but without needing a hint, she quietly shut the door behind her and left the pair alone.

"I was so scared. I didn't think we were going to get out." Greg mumbled, his voice hushed by her chest.

"I know, I know. But you're out now, you're safe." She told him calmly and rubbed his back, trying to calm him down.

"But... it reminded me of that... trunk... and there was nothing I could do..." Greg told her through gasps for air.

Catherine pulled him tighter into her. "You don't need to explain, honey. I know." She rocked him slightly and waited with him, until he was ready to move.

X

Morgan knocked on Russell's office door.

"Hey, have you got a minute?" She asked as she slipped in the room.

"Sure, what's up?" He asked, putting his glasses down on the table and giving the bridge of his nose a rub.

"It's about Greg." Immediately Russell sat up straighter.

"What's the matter, is he okay?"

Morgan shook her head sadly. "No, he's not. Nick just told me; the elevator broke down and Greg was in it with him and Sara."

Russell's face dropped. "You've gotta be kidding me?"

"I'm afraid not. And I just walked into my office; Greg was on the floor crying. Catherine's with him."

Russell stood up. "Right, thanks for telling me."

Morgan nodded. "He needs a lot of help." She said sadly.

"I know Morgan, and we're going to make sure he gets all the help he needs."

X

**So there you have it! Pretty long for a first chapter (at least for me anyway!) and it'd be great to hear about what you think of this story so far :) Please review! x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your reviews ****Marymel****, ****Lil Badger 101**** and ****danita3****! They are greatly appreciated :) Hope you all enjoy this chapter! x **

x

Russell immediately went to the office where Greg was and opened the door slowly, but loud enough so that Greg knew someone was coming in.

His head looked up and Catherine looked as well to see who it was. As soon as he saw, Greg tried to wipe away any traces of tears from his face.

Russell walked over to them both and smiled. "I heard about what happened. That must have been... terrifying." He said, trying to find the right words.

Greg looked down.

"You need to talk to someone Greg, they can help you."

Greg looked up. "I am talking; I'm going to the shrink here."

"Yeah, but you're not talking to him. I went to ask how you were doing and he said you don't say a word."

Greg looked to Catherine for help but she too looked as if she was expecting an answer.

"Sorry." Was all Greg could think to say and he waited to hear what Russell was going to say back.

"You don't need to be sorry to me. But you need to talk Greg, you need help. You can talk to me or Catherine if you don't want to talk to a shrink but tell someone what's going through your head. What were you thinking earlier when you were in the elevator?" Russell questioned.

Catherine grabbed his hand and placed it in hers. "Go on." She encouraged.

Greg swallowed. "Err, I was scared." He started, but Russell nodded for him to continue, wanting more. "It reminded me of being in that car, erm; that reminded me of those people and what they did." He swallowed again, feeling a lump beginning to grow. "I felt helpless again. I just, I wanted it to just be a dream or something, and I just wanted it to end." He bowed his head. "I wanted to cry and shout, for someone to come and get me but at the same time, I didn't want to let Nick or Sara down."

"Why would you be letting them down?" Catherine asked softly.

"Because they've been through everything and they're still holding it together. Whereas I feel like I'm falling apart and I don't know what to do about it." Greg told them, his head still bowed.

Catherine smiled. "Greg, they've both had their moments where they've lost it; they just didn't let you see it. Like you right now."

Greg let out a small laugh, "No they saw, I ended up freaking out when we were in there."

"Well I think you had every right to 'freak out'. And I'm sure Nick and Sara thought that too." Russell told him with a smile.

Greg smiled back at him and Catherine. "Suppose we best go and do some work then."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. However, I'm not sure I'll be able to get up off the floor." Russell said with a grunt as his knees popped when he got up. "God I'm too old for that."

Catherine laughed and rubbed his back. "Come on old man, back to our case."

Russell led the way out and Catherine turned round to Greg. "You ever need me, don't hesitate to call."

Greg smiled. "Thanks, I won't."

X

"There he is. How are you, man?" Nick asked with a small smile and Sara stood next to him.

"I'm alright, sorry about earlier." He apologised with a sheepish smile.

Sara smiled. "Don't worry about it. We were just heading to autopsy, you coming?"

Greg smiled. "Yeah, let's go."

X

"Hey guys." Doc Robbins greeted them. He waved them over, "Come take a look at this."

"COD looks like asphyxiation. You can see here on his eyes, these purple spots, shows that he was strangled, as well as these markings around his neck."

"What does that look like to you?" Greg asked as he checked out the marks.

Nick leaned in closer. "Looks like rope or something like that, maybe a curtain tie?"

"He hasn't got many other injuries, defensive wounds on his wrists, a couple of broken ribs. He has a lot of bruising; his penis is also slightly discoloured suggesting he was groped rather hard."

Everyone in the room glanced up to Greg who kept his head down.

"Is that everything?" Sara asked.

"I think so; I've sent some samples to Hodges. I'll let you know if I happen to find anything else."

"Thanks Doc."

X

"_Time to have some fun, Greggo."_

_Greg lay on the cold, hard ground which he was dropped onto out of the trunk. "Let's get rid of these pants shall we?" The man asked who stood over Greg._

_He looked up with fearful eyes as the man bent down and undid his belt, and then the button on his jeans. When his zip was pulled down too, Greg snapped and began to buck around on the floor with his hands tied behind his back getting squashed underneath his body weight. _

"_You know, if you just cooperate we'll get along much better."_

_Greg shook his head and carried on wriggling around on the floor. "You know what? I think I can manage how we are now." The man said and put his hand down Greg's underwear._

X

"What's on your mind, G?" Nick asked as they walked back to the lab.

He looked up. "Nothing, just thinking about stuff."

Sara perked her eyebrow. "Stuff you want to share?"

Greg looked at her and shook his head. "No."

She smiled back and tilted her head. "Fair enough. You fancy going to grab some lunch?"

"Sure." Greg said and smiled. So he, Nick and Sara went out to the diner, with Greg still thinking about his time with his captors.

X

**So what did you think? :) Thanks for reading and please leave a lil' review! X **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for your reviews ****Marymel**** and ****teen devil master123****! Sorry about the long wait, but I'm afraid I have work which takes priority :( Anyways, here's the next chapter, I hope you like it! x**

Nick, Sara and Greg were still at the diner, drinking coffee and making small talk.

"_Greggy, look what we have to play with" his captors tormented in a fake, playful voice. Greg was grabbed by his hair out of the car's trunk and onto the concrete floor. With a muffled groan, Greg looked up dazed to see what his captors were holding…_

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" The waitress rushed as she put her hands to her face.

Greg looked down to see that he was snapped out of his thoughts by coffee being chucked down him. He didn't even realise before that it was burning through his clothes.

"Sir, I am so sorry! Here, let me…" She said in a panic as she began to dab his front with napkins.

Greg pushed her hand away and smiled up at her, "It's fine."

"Greg, I'm so sorry, she's new here, only been working about a week." The boss came over and apologised, knowing all the team by name they went in that often.

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing." Greg told him with a laugh as he wiped himself down.

"You guys can have everything on the house. Sorry again." The boss apologised.

Greg shook his head, "That's not necessary."

"It is." The boss said with a smile before walking off.

Nick laughed. "Thanks Greg, you just got us a free lunch."

Greg laughed. "Yeah, you're welcome. I'm gonna' head back to the lab and change my shirt. I'll see you later." He said before scooting out his seat and heading to his Denali.

X

Once at the lab, Greg went straight to the locker room and got out a fresh shirt. He always kept a change of clothes, just in case he had to go fishing through dumpsters or anything else along those lines. Usually, spilt coffee was not something he worried about.

But now… now he was worried, because of spilt coffee.

_His captor pulled out a whip and the others laughed at the terror on Greg's face. "Let the fun begin!"_

Greg shivered and pushed the thought out of his mind. He walked to the locker room door and peaked out. Nobody was there. Taking a deep breath, Greg went back in to his locker and quickly stripped off his shirt. Just as he was fumbling with his fresh shirt, he heard a gasp.

Spinning around he saw Morgan, her mouth still slightly agape.

He didn't know what to say so just stood there, holding the shirt close to his chest, trying his best to cover himself up.

"I'm sorry… I… I didn't know… that you were in here." Morgan stuttered out and suddenly spun around and briskly walked out.

Greg watched her go with wide eyes and breathing heavy. He quickly pulled the shirt on, wincing slightly as the lashes on his back stung as the fabric rubbed against them. He fastened the shirt up the fastest he could with shaking hands then slammed his locker shut, tears glistening in his eyes.

He rested his head on his locker, nibbling his lip as he tried to compose himself, fighting to hold himself together and contain his tears.

After a minute, his breathing was back to normal and he had calmed down. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes as he exhaled. Then, he left the locker room.

X

Walking down the corridor, Greg saw Morgan sat in a room at a light table. He put his head down and quickly walked by.

Morgan looked up as he went by. She felt awful. She just couldn't help herself from gasping when she saw his back. It was nothing but a sea of red nasty welts which had started to scab over and blue, black and dirty brown bruises that littered his body. It had been two weeks and she assumed that he was back to… well, Greg. Back to himself.

Obviously not. But that wasn't what made her heart melt, knowing that Greg was still suffering physically. The look on his face when he turned around to see her staring at him; the hurt in his eyes, the pain, anguish, humiliation, the sadness. Morgan wished she could just go back in time and never go in the locker room to start with, or at least control herself more. Why did she have to make a big deal of it? Greg had been through shit and now she'd made him feel even worse. The poor man needed support and his friends to be there for him, but she did just the opposite.

Not being able to sit around anymore, Morgan stood up and went to find Greg.

X

Finding him in one of the work rooms on his own, Morgan stood in the doorway and gently knocked on the open door.

He looked up to her and stared at her for a few seconds. "Hey." He said with a small smile, quickly looking back down.

She smiled tightly, "You mind if I come in?"

Greg shook his head and looked up to her again. "No, no, you can come…" He drifted off, avoiding eye contact with her.

She walked in quietly and stood close to him at the table he was working on.

"Look, about earlier-"

"It's doesn't matter." Greg interrupted her.

Morgan looked to him as he carried on working. "Greg-"

"I don't care. Okay? Just drop it." Greg told her, interrupting her again, still looking down. His voice took a slightly higher pitch and he was breathing heavy.

Morgan frowned in concern and took a step closer, touching Greg's arm comfortingly.

"Morgan, just stop alright, I don't mind, just…" Greg looked at her with tears in his eyes and all that filled the room was his loud breathing, "I have work to do." He eventually said and stepped away from her.

Morgan nodded and sighed before walking out, leaving Greg alone.

X

**Quite short, I know, but please review and let me know what you think! Thank you for reading too! x **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the review ****Marymel**** and ****teen devil master123****! Sorry about the long wait but here's the next chapter **** x **

_They'd been using the whip for about ten minutes before they decided to put it down and give Greg a break. His back was red raw and bleeding from the lashing he'd just endured. Now, every touch sent a spasm of pain through his whole body. But even through the pain and just about unconscious, he couldn't help but be just a little relieved that they had stopped. However it was only short lived when he saw what they were going to use next. A knife._

Greg was sat in the break room, just staring into his cup of coffee when Catherine walked in.

"Hey Greggo, what you up to?" She asked as she walked by him and poured herself some coffee.

"Not much, how's your case doing?" Greg replied, trying to sound upbeat.

Catherine came and sat down across from him and shrugged. "Not great, we don't have much to work on, but it's getting there, slowly." She told him with a smile. Greg raised his eyebrows with a small smile but didn't say a word. "You okay?" Catherine asked him.

Greg looked up to her and nodded. "Yeah. But, can I ask you something?"

She smiled, "Of course Greg, ask me anything."

He smiled back but then looked down. "Do you think..." he stopped and took a deep breath, "Do you think people, women, will still you know... wanna' go out with me?" He asked her, lifting his eyes up to meet her gaze.

Catherine reached her hand across the table and grabbed Greg's, which was still wrapped around his mug and smiled at him. "Of course they will, Greg. Why would you ask me such a thing?"

He screwed his face up whilst trying to give her a bit of a smile and shrugged. "I just, I think that, I don't know, my scars will put them off..."

"What? No way, Greg. A woman can look past all that and see you for who _you _are, not just how you look. Besides, a lot of women find scars attractive."

Greg laughed quietly and shook his head. "Really? 'Cause I don't think when people look at me, they think 'oh he looks nice'."

Catherine squeezed his hand, "Hey, don't be like this. You're just the same as you were before... before _this _happened, alright?"

Greg pulled his hand out of Catherine's. "No, I'm not. For one thing, I never had a massive scar running down my face!" He told her clearly upset and ran his hand through his hair.

Catherine stayed quiet and listened to Greg's heavy, un-even breathing. He was right, and she could understand that he was upset about the change to his face. A long, thick scar ran from just above his right eyebrow near his nose, over his eyelid and all the way down, almost reaching his jaw line. It was one of many scars they had created with the knife.

Greg shook his head and looked up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Catherine smiled back. "Don't worry about it; you have every right to be angry."

"Mm. I'm gonna' go and work on my case." Greg told her and stood up and left without another word.

X

"Hey G." Nick greeted him as he entered the light room.

Greg looked up from his work and smiled. "Hey, any news on our suspect?"

Nick grinned, "He's breaking, slowly. If we can interrogate him enough before his lawyer gets here, I'm sure we can get a full confession."

"That's great." Greg told him with another smile which was clearly forced.

Nick frowned. "What's up? Something bothering you?"

Greg cursed himself for being so easy to read. "No, nothing."

"Don't give me that bull, man. I can see right through it." Nick told him with a laugh as he leaned his arms on the table. "C'mon, spill."

Greg rolled his head back. "Seriously, it's not important."

Nick cocked his eyebrow at him and waited, making Greg sigh in defeat. "It's... my scars."

"What about them?" Nick asked curiously, although he probably could have guessed what it was going to be about.

"Everything, the fact that I've got them. And who knows what else might appear when all the bruising has gone. I look like something out of a horror movie." He said sadly.

"No you don't. Everyone has scars, G. We can't help it." Nick told him.

"But, not everyone's are as bad as mine." Greg told him in a teary voice and Nick moved around the table to comfort him.

"Hey, they're not that bad." Nick told him and rubbed Greg's back as a tear made its way out.

"Hey guys... Are you alright Greg?" Sara asked half way through her sentence when she saw the two men.

Greg stood up and hastily wiped his face. "Yeah, I'm just gonna' get some air." And with that he brushed past Sara and went outside.

X

Greg couldn't believe he almost had a full break down in the middle of the lab in front of Nick and Sara. His heart was beating rapidly and all he could think of was Morgan's reaction after seeing him. That's when he realised that no one would ever look at him the same again. And why did it have to be Morgan? Out of every possible person it had to be her.

"Hey. I didn't know you smoked." Nick said to him as he joined him on the bench outside the lab, about five minutes after Greg had sat down.

"I don't" Greg told him, taking a long drag of the cigarette in his fingers.

Nick looked at him with a puzzled look and confused smile.

"I didn't" Greg clarified. "I got a friend to bring me some after I was out the hospital."

"Those things ruin your health, man. Not a good habit to start." Nick warned him.

Greg just shrugged. "I think it's a bit late to worry about that." He took another puff and blew it out slowly. Nick noticed his fingers were shaking and there were still tears swimming in his eyes.

"You alright?" Nick asked him sadly. He could see his best friend was having a tough time and he wanted more than anything to help him.

Greg shook his head and sniffed, "No", he replied honestly with a high pitched voice as his ducts broke and a few tears fell from his eyes. But he didn't bother to wipe them away, just carried on with his cigarette.

Nick looked at him sorrowfully and sighed. "You know you can talk to me. About what happened. From what I know, you've not told anyone."

Greg didn't answer, just threw his cigarette butt to the floor and pulled the pack out his pocket, pulled another out and placed it in his mouth before grabbing his lighter. After a few unsuccessful tries, Nick offered to help.

"No I got it." Greg told him and managed to light it on the next try. "You want one?"

Nick shook his head. "You gonna' talk to me then?" He asked after Greg still hadn't answered him.

Greg shook his head. "Why not, Greg?" Nick questioned him.

"Because I don't want to, alright? I don't wanna' talk about it." Greg looked at him and said with tears slowly making tracks down his face.

"Don't you think we have the right to know?" Nick tried. "You were gone for ages, man. And we don't know half the stuff that you went through."

Greg turned to him shocked. "Have the right to know? Don't you think I have the right to some privacy!? You're right; _you_ don't know half the shit I went through! And you know what? That's how it's gonna' stay."

This made Nick bow his head as a wave of guilt washed over him. "Greg, I'm sorry. I just want to help you."

"Well then do me a favour; tell Russell I'm going home 'cause I'm not very well." Greg told him as he stood up, again throwing the end of his cigarette onto the ground and making his way to his car.

"Greg, wait!" Nick called after him but Greg didn't stop. As soon as he got in his car, he left, leaving Nick standing in the car park.

X

"What do you want Nick?" Greg asked exasperated when he opened his door to see Nick stood there.

"It'd be nice if you let me in." He said with a small smile and Greg couldn't help but smile back and wave him in.

"You want a drink or something?" Greg asked before they sat down.

"No, I'm alright thanks. I just wanna' talk to you, please. Just let me in you know, tell me what's going on."

Greg sighed. "I'd rather not alright; I can deal with this on my own."

"No you can't. After what I went through, I needed you all by my side to help me. I was a mess on my own, just like you." Nick told him.

"What do you want me to say Nick? You want me to say that I can hardly sleep at night?" Greg started, "I can't go out my house without feeling like I have to look over my shoulder? That I'm scared to be left on my own? Huh? Well there you go."

Nick followed Greg as he quickly went to his bedroom and managed to get to the door before Greg could shut it. "Nick, could you please leave? Look, you got what you wanted." Greg begged him, wanting nothing more than to be left alone.

"No. Look at you. Let's talk about this. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you again." Nick told him.

"But you're not with me 24/7."

"No, but at work I can stay with you, you can come stay with me at my place until you're ready to leave. There's ways around it." Nick argued.

Greg shook his head. "No I don't need to. I just need some time."

Nick sighed. "This isn't just going to go away Greg. What you're feeling, it won't go unless you get help."

"What's happened that's made you like this? I know it's not long after everything that happened, but you seemed like you were coping before, what's changed?" Nick asked.

Greg looked at Nick who was practically pleading with him to talk. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke, "Morgan saw me when I was changing my shirt."

"She saw everything." He carried on as he became overwhelmed with emotion, tears yet again appearing in his eyes. "She was scared. And I was what scared her." Greg explained as he let out a small sob as he coughed on his tears.

Nick moved closer but Greg held his hand up shakily and stepped back. "Sorry, I just, I can't... I don't want anyone near me." He choked out quietly, more tears streaming down his face.

Nick nodded his understanding and didn't say anything for a moment.

"Take, take your top off." He told him quietly.

Greg looked up to him with wide eyes. "What?"

Nick nodded forward to Greg's t-shirt. "Take it off; I want to show you that they don't bother me."

Greg shook his head and his breath quickened. "No Nick I can't."

"Yes you can, do it." Nick told him sternly but gently.

Again Greg shook his head. "No, don't make me do something I don't want to."

"Greg, please." Nick asked him again and he felt trapped. Why wouldn't Nick listen to him?

With no other option, Greg turned around so that his back was facing Nick and gently pulled his t-shirt over his hand. When it was off, he didn't hear anything from Nick.

"They don't bother me, G. Let me see the front." Nick told him quietly. It was a shock to see Greg, his best friend, now a pretty much broken man. His back was littered with nasty welts and bruises, and his bones protruded out of his body, the light catching them creating a dark shadow just around them.

"No, this is enough." Greg whispered as he clinged onto the t-shirt in front of his chest.

"Greggo, please, I won't make you do it again." Nick asked him.

Slowly, Greg turned to face Nick and dropped his t-shirt on his bed reluctantly. If it was possible, his front was even worse than the back. His ribs were clearly visible and not one inch of his chest was its natural colour. Scabs covered him and right over his heart was carved with probably a knife, 'Drew'.

Thinking it had been long enough; Greg grabbed his shirt and as fast as he could pulled it over his head to cover himself up. He sat down on his bed and took a few breaths to try and calm down, but they didn't help and he was shocking himself with the sound of his own ragged breathing and tears.

"Thanks G. I know that was hard to do, but you see, they don't bother me. They're not going to bother anyone." Nick told him, sort of wishing he hadn't made the poor guy do this after seeing him so hysterical.

"Here, come on." Nick told him as he sat down on the bed next to him and held his arm out, waiting for Greg to move into him.

Greg shuffled himself across the edge of his bed and into Nick's waiting arms where he just let everything go; all the anguish he felt and pain physically and mentally fell from his eyes and into Nick's shirt.

"Thatta' boy, there we go." Nick cooed as he stroked the younger man's arm comfortingly.

A few minutes later, Greg pulled away embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

Nick smiled at him. "Don't worry, it's cool."

They stayed in silence until Greg spoke up quietly. "The thing that bothers me most is ah..." He rubbed the middle of his chest, "Where he wrote his name. He said, he wrote it over my heart so that while ever I'm alive, he's going to be with me. And I can't get away from them."

"And it's true. This whole thing is, going to stay with me forever, I can't forget it." Greg told him sadly.

Nick nodded. "You're right; it's never going to be out of your mind. But you can stop thinking about it, just focus on the good things in your life. That's what I did, and you, the team, that's what got me through."

"But I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about this. Every time I look in a mirror I'll think about it." Greg told him with a sigh.

"Well then every time you see yourself, think about how strong you are. Think about how you made it through, you survived Greg." Nick told him, trying to help him see the positive in his scars.

Greg just shrugged his shoulder in response.

"When was the last time you ate?" Nick asked him after. "Your bones are stickin' out everywhere, man."

Swallowing, Greg said "I snack. It's hard to eat big meals. It's even harder to try and put some weight back on."

Nick thought back to when they'd found him and got him out the trunk of that car. He was so lanky; there was practically no meat on him at all. It was a miracle he was still alive.

"How about I go and get us a burger or something? I can bring it back here, I'm sure there's a game on that we can watch." Nick offered.

Greg looked up and smiled at him. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm not bothered about anything."

"You gotta' eat though. Fries?"

Greg laughed slightly. "No I don't want fries either."

Nick sighed. "What are we gonna' do with you, huh?" He asked with a smile. "I'll let you get some sleep, but tomorrow, I'm bringing two lunches and you're going to eat one!" He said as he got up.

Greg stood too and shook his head. "I'll bring my own food, alright?"

"No arguing, you're eating what I bring you." Nick told him. "See you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

X

**Pleassseeee leave a review to tell me what you think! x **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the review Marymel and Nicole! Love to read your comments **** Hope you all like this next chapter x **

"What's this?" Greg asked as he lifted his head up.

Nick sat next to him after he'd thrown a sandwich down on the table in front of Greg, "It's a sandwich. You have seen one before right?"

Greg's lips twitched. "Yes, I have. But why are you giving me this?" He asked holding it up.

Nick unwrapped his own sandwich and took a bite. "I told you... I was gonna' bring you lunch, and I have. So eat up."

Just as Greg was about to reply, Morgan walked in the break room. "Hey guys. Ooh, what are you eating? It looks good." She said as she joined them at the table.

Nick smiled and swallowed. "Six meat sub, made by yours truly." He told her with a wink, causing her and Greg to laugh. "You wanna' bite?"

Morgan shook her head. "Mm, as much as I'd love to, I can't. It's a salad for me; I'm on a diet."

Greg and Nick stared at her incredulously. "You're kidding me?" Greg asked her.

"Nope, why would I be?" Morgan asked him with a frown.

"Because you're a twig?" Nick suggested with a cocked eyebrow. "You've got more meat on you than Greg has."

Morgan laughed and looked back to Greg but soon lost her smile.

Greg had a pissed off half smile on his face as he grabbed his file he was working on and stood up. "Greg, come on." Nick called when he left. Sighing he stood up and followed.

X

"Hey, come on, dude. I didn't mean it in a bad way." Nick said as he jogged up behind Greg.

"I know, I just have to get back to work." Greg told him without looking up.

Nick gently grabbed his arm to stop him from walking any further but Greg yanked it back out of his grasp. "Don't! Don't alright, I'll see you later." He said, quietening down before walking off again.

X

Catherine was slowly walking through the labs halls until she arrived at the locker room. As she entered Greg, who was sat on the bench, looked up to her and smiled briefly.

"Hey Greg, what are you doing?" She asked as she opened her locker, watching as he rubbed something on his arms.

"Just putting some of this on." He mumbled as he carried on.

Catherine closed her locker door and looked over. "What is _this_?" She asked as she picked up a bottle next to him.

Greg's eyes glanced to look up at her for a second before looking down again. "It's supposed to help with scars; my doctor suggested it." He explained to her.

Catherine put the bottle back down and sat next to him. "You need any help? Is there anywhere you can't reach?" she asked him in a motherly way with a smile.

"Err, I can get most places. My back can be a little difficult." Greg told her as he pulled his sleeve back down which had been rolled up.

"Well do you want me to do it?" Catherine asked him, hand already hovering over the bottle.

Greg shook his head and turned to face her. "Thanks, but I can't. Not here anyway. I don't want anybody to see me." He told her whilst standing up and putting the lotion back in his locker on the shelf.

"How about we go into the bathroom?" Catherine asked and smiled slightly when she heard Greg laugh.

"Do you realise how that would look?"

Catherine laughed too. "How about I put some on after we've finished our shift? I'll follow you back to yours and put some on quick."

Greg sighed quietly. "Yeah. Yeah, thanks. That'd be great." He told her quietly with a smile.

"Okay." Catherine said as Greg walked past her. "Greg..." She called after him, "don't be afraid to ask for help."

X

Greg let Catherine in to his house and shut the door behind her. "Would you like drink?"

"No, it's alright thanks. I have to be quick because Lindsey wants me to take her out somewhere. It's about time she got her own car, i tell you." She said as she took her jacket off.

Greg smiled. "So is she not going to get one off Mom?"

Catherine cocked an eyebrow. "Do you know what salary I'm on? I bet Mommy and Daddy bought you a car right?"

Greg shrugged. "They might have helped." He told her with a sideways smile.

Catherine laughed and put her hands down on her thighs. "So, where we doing this, here, the bathroom?"

"Erm, here's fine." Greg told her, getting the bottle from his kitchen and passing it to her.

"So are you going to take your top off?" Catherine asked him after a few moments of him just standing in front of her.

"Yeah... yeah..." Greg said quietly and gingerly pulled his t-shirt off.

Catherine tried to contain her gasp as she saw Greg's back for the second time, and she couldn't help but think back to when she had first seen it.

"_Greg!"She yelled._

"_Greg!" Everybody was shouting his name, hoping he would shout back and tell them where he was._

"_Hey, I need help in here!" It was Nick. Had Nick found Greg? She ran to the sound of his voice through the massive warehouse and found him by a car, and he was trying to get inside the trunk._

"_I need a crowbar!" He yelled and she immediately looked around. There. She ran to it and quickly brought it back to Nick who had his hand outstretched and waiting. "We're coming, G. Just hold on." He said before pushing hard on the crowbar to get inside. _

_When the trunk opened up, there was the smallest part of Catherine that wished it hadn't. Greg was in there, but he looked... dead._

_Nick grabbed his pulse and the team gathered around anxiously. "He's alive. Get him some blankets!" Nick yelled and she watched as everybody ran back out of the warehouse and to their Denali's where they kept spare blankets._

_She stepped forward and stroked Greg's deadly dry forehead and hair. "We've got you. We've got you now. Just stay with us, okay, Greg. We've got you." She repeated over and over, trying to offer as much comfort as she could, even if he couldn't hear her._

_The team were back in less than a minute and were about to pile the blankets on when she stopped them. "Wait! We need to get him out of here first." Nick looked at her and nodded. There was no way they could keep Greg in there any longer. He was curled up impossibly tight and it was clear he had many, many broken bones._

_She watched as Nick carefully picked him up and lowered him to the ground. It was then she saw everything._

_He was topless, so his chest and back were in clear sight. He was discoloured, not only from bruises, but dirt and grime which had built up over his time with his captors. His back... God his back. She cried openly as she saw it. Dried blood plastered itself to his skin. Fresh, red flesh was open to the dangers of infection, and there was already dirt and sand inside the giant cuts and welts. She couldn't stand it, and quickly placed a blanket over him._

"I'm sorry."

Catherine snapped out of her thoughts when Greg spoke. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, "for making you do this."

Catherine kicked herself. The kid was apologising to _her_. She hadn't realised that she'd not moved since he took his top off, and now he felt bad. She'd probably hurt him even more by not doing anything.

"No, Greg .I'm sorry. Here, let me..." She slowly began to put some of the lotion onto his back for him and he arched slightly trying to move away from the pain. "Does that hurt?" She asked and straight away she knew it was a stupid question. His back still wasn't healed. It would still be months and months from now until it was completely healed.

"Yeah, a little." He replied to her with a quiet shaky voice.

"I'm sorry, I won't be long." Catherine told him softly as she continued to rub his back. It was about three minutes later when she'd finished and it had fully dried. "There we go, all done."

Greg turned his head back to her and gave her a small smile before gently pulling his top on again. "Thanks, Catherine."

She smiled at him and went to wash her hands. "Don't mention it. Whenever you need me to do this, just say and I'll come over."

Greg sat down on one of his kitchen chairs and nodded. "Thank you."

As she was drying her hands, she came over to him and sat down. "Greg..." He looked up to her waiting. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and smiled. "I'm alright." She smiled back, but it wasn't an honest one.

"Are you? You know you can talk to me."

Greg shook his head and stood up. "Catherine, I'm fine." He told her, standing by the door. "I think Lindsey's probably waiting for you."

Catherine picked up his tone and nodded, grabbing her jacket as she went. "Yeah, she probably is. I'll see you tomorrow."

Greg opened the door for her and smiled as she left. "Thanks again, Catherine."

She turned back to him and smiled.

X

"Hey." Greg closed the door to his Denali and joined Morgan as she entered the lab.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked her. They'd not spoken much since their moment in the locker room and Greg tried to act as casual as he could.

"I'm not too bad, but thanks to you, I ended up gaining a few pounds eating that sandwich which you didn't eat." She said with a playful punch to the arm as they entered the locker room.

Greg laughed slightly, "Sorry. At least it stopped you from dieting."

Morgan sighed. "That didn't last long."

"Well you don't need to get any skinnier. You're fine just the way you are." Greg told her with a smile, before leaving her sat alone in the locker room.

X

**So, what did you think? Please review! x **


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